Grey-maned John L. Lewis, looking more & more like an outsize Pekingese, sat last week at a collective bargaining table in Washington. Between chews on Corona perfectos and Doublemint gum, the United Mine Workers' astute old boss negotiated with the Southern Coal Producers' President Joseph Moody. In the next fortnight, the U.M.W.'s contracts with most of the nation's coal mines will expire; if satisfactory terms for renewal are not agreed on, the U.S. will again face a major strike.
Lewis was not saying publicly just what he wanted. Best guess: 1) a small wage increase for his 475,000 miners; 2)...